Germany has decided to acquire eight MEKO A-200 warships from ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS), in place of six vessels under the F126 frigate program.

The decision to cancel the troubled F126 frigate program was taken due to “significant delays, enormous cost increases, and incalculable risks.” The vessels were being made to carry out anti-submarine warfare duties, which is of paramount importance to Germany and NATO.

However, delays in delivery and budget constraints have led the German Federal Ministry of Defense to scrap the program altogether. Defense Minister Boris Pistorius also stated that they have now decided to opt for a total of eight MEKO A-200 DEU frigates.

The F126 frigate program

The F126 or Niedersachsen-class frigate is a massive 10,550-ton warship that was intended to replace the F123 Brandenburg-class frigate. It would have been the largest surface warship to join the German Navy since World War II.

The first ship of the F126 program was planned to be commissioned in 2028; however, its delivery date was later pushed to 2032. The vessels would have been able to remain at sea for up to two years at a time and conduct anti-submarine warfare.

Germany has canceled the construction contract for the Niedersachsen-class vessels with the Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding ( DSNS ). It has opted not to re-award the same to a new contractor. Since 2025, there have been discussions about handing over the contracts to Naval Vessels Lürssen, which is a Rheinmetall-owned shipbuilding group.

The negotiations put the cost of six vessels at roughly $20.4 billion (€18 billion), according to estimates by the Defense Ministry.

The MEKO A-200 warship

German forces will now get the Meko A-200 frigate, which has a length of 396 feet (121 meters) and a maximum beam of 53 feet (16.4 meters). The vessel has a displacement of 3,950 tons.

It can sail at a maximum speed of over 33 miles per hour (29 knots), and at an optimum speed of 16 knots, its range extends to over 6,500 nautical miles. The vessel can carry either two six-ton helicopters or a single 11-ton aircraft, and can also carry two large unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

The vessel can be sailed by a core crew of 125 personnel, and can also support an additional 49 personnel for other missions.

TKMS says that the vessel offers full-spectrum four-dimensional warfare capabilities—air, surface, subsurface, and electronic warfare. It can help in a number of mission profiles ranging from patrol and interdiction to Special Forces support, search and rescue, and more.

The frigate can also carry two specific mission modules to support the desired operations, and they can also be changed depending on the need.

MEKO frigates are already in use by many navies around the globe.

Subject to approval by the Budget Committee, the first four MEKO A-200 DEU frigates would cost approximately $7.1 billion (€6.3 billion). The next four vessels would cost roughly $6.01 (€5.3 billion).

“We need steel in the water, fast and precisely specialized for anti-submarine warfare. With the MEKO A-200 frigate class, the navy would receive powerful ships with which we could fulfill our mission,” said Inspector of the Navy, Vice Admiral Jan Christian Kaack.